New from Prudential: Level Term Life to Age 65

Investing in life insurance is an important step to financially protect one’s family for future events. However, some people may be unaware of how to prevent those policies from being cashed in too soon.

Did you know that something like channel surfing might be putting your health at risk?

People who are bored tend to have poor nutritional habits, watch television for prolonged periods of time, skip out on exercise routines and opt out of heart-healthy lifestyle, according to the June 15, 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The AMA reports that for every two hours of television a person watches each day, his or her risk of diabetes increases by 20 percent, cardiovascular disease by 15 percent, and all-cause mortality risk by 13 percent.

Dr. Frank Hu, professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health and co-author of the study, notes that watching TV is worse than other particularly passive sedentary activity. It has a lower energy expenditure compared to driving, reading or working at a computer.

Dr. Hu also maintains that watching television is associated with unhealthy eating because junk food is typically more available for consumption than healthier choices when in front of the television.

According to the Mayo Clinic, some people also indulge in poor nutritional habits, such as emotional eating, which helps to suppress or soothe negative emotions like boredom.

In summary, boredom leads to an increased sedentary lifestyle, which is a potential health hazard. The cure? Get up off the couch.

“People who are active have more energy and less stress and anxiety,” said Brad Johnson, a long-time Chicago-based personal trainer.

“Knowing you are taking care of yourself and reaping benefits like lower blood pressure, better body awareness and higher self-esteem, who doesn’t feel better?” said Johnson.

While the causes of boredom vary, results could have an adverse effect on peoples’ lives and their life insurance premiums.

“Boredom in itself is not a determining factor in the life insurance industry,” said Jack Dewald, past chairman of the Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education. “But for someone sitting and watching television and eating chips all the time, he is at a higher risk of developing a chronic medical condition that may lead to paying a higher price for life insurance.”